Data consumption has been increasing at a rapid rate in recent years. As part of this increase, consumers are demanding increased bandwidth, and service providers are scrambling to improve communication network infrastructure and services. For example, as of 2013, Long Term Evolution (LTE) boasts downlink peak data rates that can exceed 100 Mbit/s. Likewise, Mobile Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax) release 2 supports a per site downlink of 120 Mbit/s, and Data over Cable Interface Specification (DOCSIS) 3.0 supports a downlink of up to 160 Mbit/s. Delivery of such high data throughput has been made possible by, among other things, better bandwidth allocation, higher order modulation, and shorter transmission time intervals. Consumers also tend to expect their data communications to be secure and uncorrupted. Thus, better encryption and channel coding techniques have emerged.
Most consumers, however, are less interested in communication latency because many applications can tolerate significant latency (e.g., milliseconds or even seconds of latency) without degrading the consumers' experience. Consumers have long grown accustomed to delayed delivery of data, such as emails and text messages, as these types of data are generally routed through several networks, which are sometimes located in multiple continents, before reaching their destination.
Other consumers, however, may favor a communication system with low latency as it may provide certain advantages. For these consumers, a latency difference, for example, of tens of microseconds could translate to revenue differences of millions of dollars.